Promotion

Fanning playing Princess Margaret, Elizabeth to be cast

Ah the usual and lovable phrase "inspired by true events" pops up for the film Girl's Night Out which Dakota Fanning has just joined, a film that will see her play Princess Margaret who, along with Princess Elizabeth the future Queen, went out with the crowds during VE day and watched their Father, the rest of the Royal family appear on the balcony to the celebrating crowds around them.

It seems that this is where the story ends, and it's not something that would happen these days, but the film is going to dramatise the events and turn what happened into something much bigger, keeping the Princesses out for longer and involving danger and romance.

"...my sister and I realised we couldn't see what the crowds were enjoying ... so we asked my parents if we could go out and see for ourselves ... After crossing Green Park we stood outside and shouted, 'We want the King', and were successful in seeing my parents on the balcony, having cheated slightly because we sent a message into the house to say we were waiting outside. I think it was one of the most memorable nights of my life."

It's interesting that she did say "nights" which does suggest they might have been out for longer and another story claims that they were in the crowds for some two hours.

Suite101 has a story about Edward Percy (Jimmy) Wilds who was the despatch rider for Winston Churchill for the last few months of World War II, and claimed to have been at the Palace on Monday 7th May 1945, delivering the news that war had ended in Europe.

The following day he was back again and while crowds were outside Buckingham Palace celebrating, the Princesses approached him inside the palace and asked by Princess Elizabeth if he would escort her and Princess Margaret out into the crowd to see the Royal family appear on the balcony.

"...the Royal Family appeared on the balcony again, but this time the two Princesses were missing. And no one knew where they were. They were in the Mall with the crowd, but no one knew that. No one recognised them."On being asked about the event not long before he died, Jimmy explained that they had been amongst the crowds for almost two hours until Princess Elizabeth felt they had been away long enough. He observed that at one point they had passed quite close to a news camera focussed on the balcony. "If the camera man had turned round just then he would have got a very unexpected piece of film."

I have to admit I never knew the story at all, and now we all will as it's going to be made into a film which according to VarietyMichael Hoffman is set to direct, and he already has Dakota Fanning set to play Princess Margaret.

I'm not totally sure about the casting there, but the director is certainly a great choice. The article says that Trevor De Silva's script for Girl's Night Out is going to have them doing more than just standing in the crowd for two hours though, danger and romance are mentioned so they'll be straying further than the other side of the palace gates then.